Beer Bread: Yummy and inexpensive!

Beer bread is an amazing, easy to make, versatile food. It can be made to go with any meal, or it can be a meal itself!

The basic recipe is as follows:

• 3 cups self rising flour (sifted) (Or if you don’t have self rising flour, mix together: 3 cups flour (sifted), 3 teaspoons baking powder,1 teaspoon salt)


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 (12 ounce) can beer or other carbonated beverage- See below*


• ½ stick melted butter

 

1. Sift the flour and sugar together.


2. Slowly pour the liquid over the dry mixture and mix until combined.


3. Pour dough into a greased Dutch oven or a greased bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-1 hour or until when inserted, a knife comes out clean.

 

You can add any one of the following before your mix it together:

½ cup dried fruit, nuts, chocolate or any other kind of chips, cheese, chopped onions (raw or carmelized), shallots, green onions, chives.

Any of the following spices are delicious (add to your taste):

Cinnamon, Poudre forte, Poudre douce, Pumpkin pie spice, Italian seasoning, Mural of Flavor.

If you want to make a sweet dessert bread, make a crumble to top the bread with prior to baking:

 

• ½ C. flour


• ½ c. brown sugar


• ½ c. softenened butter


• Spices (I like Poudre forte, Poudre douce, or Pumpkin pie spice)

 

1. Combine all of these together, and top the uncooked bread with this mixture.

 

*For a different texture, try different varieties of soda (fruit or cream sodas are great), soda water, light beer, Guinness or other dark beer. Match the type of beer with the other added items.  When using soda, add 2 teaspoons of yeast so you get the correct rise. (beer contains yeast!)

I don’t recommend using Root Beer- it makes the bread bitter.  Don’t use diet soda!  Baking with artificial sweeteners other than Splenda can make the bread bitter.

 

Yummy combos:

Orange soda goes great with chocolate chips and orange zest.

Light beer, sharp cheddar cheese and caramelized onions are great together.